Chương 104: Chapter 103: The Valois Uprising

The blizzard howled violently over the pine valley on the outskirts of the capital of Solaris. Inside a secret field encampment shrouded by concealment wards, fifty thousand elite armored troops of the Duke of Valois's house stood formed into vast rectangular blocks stretching across the snow. Tens of thousands of steel spears pointed straight up into the night sky, magical firelight flickering across grey armor embroidered with the fire-eagle crest.

Astride a black armored warhorse, Young Master Julian von Valois drew his flame blade from its sheath, pointing it straight toward the Royal Palace on the horizon, shouting.

"Knights of House Valois! Tonight, Emperor Alaric will be deposed! House Valois will seize the Solaris throne!" He tilted his face up to the sky, laughing arrogantly.

"And the five-million-gold debt owed to Vance Commerce for military equipment... tonight, it's wiped clean! No merchant would ever dare demand payment from a new Emperor!" Fifty thousand soldiers struck their swords against their shields in unison, the crash of steel rolling across the snowy valley. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Footsteps crossed the frozen snow toward the camp's main entrance. Julian reined in his horse, narrowing his eyes through the fog.

Three figures walked unhurriedly into the middle of the fifty-thousand-man formation: leading the way, Lucian in his ash-grey traveling cloak, hands in his pockets; on the left, Eleanor in her royal cloak; and on the right, Astra, the Sun-Slaying Dragon Sword resting on her shoulder. Julian froze for a beat, then burst out laughing.

"Princess Eleanor! And the merchant brat Lucian Vance! Bringing a little girl with a sword to hand yourselves over to die?!" He swung his flame blade.

"All forces, hear my order! Kill them all—" Lucian stopped ten meters from Julian's warhorse. He didn't draw his dagger, didn't order Astra to strike. He simply reached into his coat and pulled out a hand-sized titanium remote control Evelyn had assembled and authenticated that afternoon after tracing the equipment serial network. On its face was a single large red button, labeled: [REMOTE REPOSSESSION]. Lucian raised the remote to his face and spoke through the arcane microphone, his voice ringing out clearly.

"Attention, all officers and soldiers of the Valois Legion." He swept the remote in an arc across the fifty-thousand-man formation.

"Per Installment Equipment Supply Contract No. 801: every set of steel armor, shield, and sword you are currently wearing was manufactured at Vance Commerce's factory on Floor 1 of the World Tower. The contract-disclosed maintenance immobilizer pins are already built into the metal joints; Evelyn merely configured this authenticated transmitter for the registered serials." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Lucian looked straight at Julian.

"Since House Valois has just openly declared it's defaulting on its five-million-gold debt... I hereby repossess all collateral assets, effective immediately, on the spot." Lucian pressed his thumb down hard on the red button. CLICK. CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! Tens of thousands of mechanical locks snapped into place at once, ringing out like a chain of gunfire.

Every elbow joint, knee joint, hip joint, and finger articulation across fifty thousand suits of steel armor suddenly ejected titanium locking pins, freezing every rotational axis at a fixed angle. The fifty thousand rebel soldiers went rigid all at once. Men holding spears aloft found their arms locked mid-air; men mid-swing were frozen in a wind-milling stance; men on horseback had both legs clamped stiff into their stirrups.

Julian, on his horse, eyes bulging, his entire body locked solid by his silver armor like a solid iron bar. He lost his balance, toppled sideways, and hit the deep snow face-first with a BOOM, lying motionless as a metal statue unable to move a single finger. The fifty-thousand-man rebel army... turned into fifty thousand frozen iron statues in exactly three seconds, standing stock-still in the middle of the blizzard. Ting! Ting! Ting! A dim black Unified System V2. 0 notification burst into view before Lucian.

[NATIONAL CIVIL WAR THREAT FULLY NEUTRALIZED!] [Achievement earned: The Great Collateral Repossessor.] [TACTICAL RISK ASSESSMENT — BASED ON CONFIRMED TROOP STRENGTH, EQUIPMENT STATUS, AND ROYAL AUTHORITY:] Before button press: a serious immediate threat to the palace. After button press: the rebel force's contracted equipment is immobilized; royal arrest authority can proceed. From the central command tent, Duke Valois came stumbling out, leaning on a cane.

Seeing his once-invincible fifty-thousand-man army standing frozen like wooden dolls in the snow, he dropped to both knees in the mud, screaming in despair.

"This isn't war! This... this is a filthy merchant's dirty trick!" Eleanor walked forward at a slow pace toward Julian, using the toe of her boot to nudge his flame blade aside. She looked down at Duke Valois, her voice icy.

"Duke Valois is guilty of treason. Per Royal Law, the Crown confiscates House Valois's southern assets. An audited portion of its mines and liens, sufficient to satisfy Vance Commerce's lawful five-million-gold claim, is placed into Vance receivership; any surplus remains Crown-controlled pending valuation." Eleanor turned to look at Lucian, the corner of her mouth curling into a proud smile.

"This debt settlement... how does it look to you, Chairman Vance?" Lucian tucked the remote back into his pocket and smiled brightly.

"Partnering with the Princess always yields the highest profit margin." He walked into the Valois command tent, sliding his dagger into the duke's arcane safe and prying it open. Inside, alongside stacks of old banknotes, Lucian pulled out a piece of black sheepskin, engraved with the symbol of a three-ringed bronze eye — a secret pact between House Valois and some mystical entity residing at the very bottom of the World Tower.

Lucian narrowed his eyes at the three-ringed eye emblem and tucked the parchment into his coat pocket.

"Another shadow business deal, huh..."... Later that evening. The Winter Palace of the Solaris Royal Family. The blizzard outside had passed. Inside Eleanor's private study, a magical hearth radiated a gentle warmth. Eleanor had removed her knight's armor and changed into a pale blue cardigan over a simple white blouse. She closed the study door against the noise of the corridor. She turned around and walked toward the armchair where Lucian sat, munching on an apple, her blue eyes nervous but determined.

"The rebellion's crushed, the land transfer contract's signed..." Eleanor leaned both hands on the arms of Lucian's chair, bringing her face close to his.

"Now then... we can finally talk in private, without anyone interrupting us, can't we, classmate Vance?"